Emmerdale fans have said they cannot forgive the ITV soap after Jimmy King was killed off during the explosive Tate wedding week. Jimmy, played by Nick Miles, died on Thursday (August 27) after losing control of his vehicle and crashing through the wedding marquee of Joe Tate and Dawn Taylor.
A 22-year stint in the Dales
Jimmy first joined Emmerdale on February 19, 2004, as part of the newly introduced King family, alongside his father Tom and his brothers. Initially introduced as part of the ruthless, high-status King family business empire, Jimmy evolved from a hard-nosed businessman into the village's lovable, bumbling haulier.
He married Nicola in 2010 after his previous marriage to Sadie King, who is set to return to Emmerdale this year. However, the wedding almost did not happen because Nicola faced court and probation for biting a child before rushing back to the village to tie the knot.
The fatal crash and dream sequence
Recently, Jimmy had been hiding a huge mountain of debt from Nicola, even selling his family business to Caleb and Ruby. In an attempt to spark some romance back into their relationship, he made plans to renew their wedding vows.
While driving to set up a surprise picnic for Nicola, Jimmy lost control of his vehicle and crashed violently through the wedding marquee. Nicola found him and sat with him as he told her he had planned for them to renew their vows. A heart-wrenching dream sequence showed the vow renewal before Jimmy died from his injuries.
Viewers react
Dawn and Nicola managed to escape the marquee, but with Joe trapped under fallen debris, it is unclear whether he will survive after an explosion set off in the marquee.
Viewers have expressed upset over how Jimmy left the soap after a two-decade stint. On X, @michellepryde wrote: "Getting rid of Jimmy King is unforgivable I'm sorry". @behradtarazi added: "jimmy dying in such a nothingburger way after him being one of the foundational characters of Emmerdale for the last 30 years....." as @lizzybeelou agreed: "Jimmy deserved a much better exit #emmerdale @Nick_Miles_ will be sorely missed in the show."
Another viewer @sarah2022x penned: "What an abysmal ending for Jimmy after so many years on the show!! The writers should've given him his own storyline... & it took the entire show for the emergency services to turn up but when it involves cain, moira, joe etc they turn up in seconds!!!"
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX and YouTube from 7am.
